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Qdoba to move support center from Denver to San Diego

The Qdoba Mexican Eats brand is moving its support center from the Denver area to San Diego in January, the company said Wednesday.

Qdoba’s support center will join sister brand Jack in the Box at the offices of parent company Jack in the Box Inc., which is based in San Diego.

The move is part of an ongoing effort to cut general and administrative expenses by about $35 million to $45 million overall as Jack in the Box Inc. moves toward its goal of becoming 95 percent franchised.

Qdoba brand president Keith Guilbault said about 95 people work in the Lakewood, Colo., offices outside of Denver, and some were offered the opportunity to relocate to San Diego, while others have been offered remote-based positions.

Some employee positions would be eliminated as a result of the move, but Guilbault did not say how many. Those workers, and those who choose not to relocate, will receive a severance package based on years of service and their position, he said.

Termination, however, was not expected until after the offices in the Denver suburb of Lakewood close in January.

Qdoba said Wednesday it plans to hire 50 corporate team members in San Diego over the next six months, including a director of culinary and a director of omni channel marketing.

The company said there are open positions across the marketing, culinary, restaurant operations, supply chain, business development and restaurant and instructional design teams.

Several years ago, the company began consolidating positions at both Qdoba and Jack in the Box, Guilbault noted. “It just didn’t pencil out to maintain two corporate offices,” he said.

“While we’ve realized efficiencies in shared roles, we’ll also continue to have brand-dedicated leaders and support personnel to lead Qdoba as the strong fast-casual brand it is.”

Qdoba has been going through a brand reinvention over the past three years that has included a name change from “Qdoba Mexican Grill” to “Qdoba Mexican Eats.”

The brand evolution began in 2013, when parent company Jack in the Box Inc. closed 62 underperforming units and hired Tim Casey as brand president. In 2014, the chain reworked its menu pricing to a tiered structure built around choice of protein, rather than “nickel and diming” guests by asking them to pay extra for guacamole or queso sauce.

The chain also unveiled a new restaurant design to reflect the brand’s bolder “in your face” menu innovation.

In May, Casey stepped down and was replaced by Guilbault, who was the chain’s former chief operating officer.

Qdoba was founded in Denver in 1995, and was acquired by Jack in the Box Inc. in 2003. The company now operates and franchises more than 650 Qdoba locations in 47 states, the District of Columbia and Canada.

Update: July 13, 2016 This story has been updated to reflect new information from Qdoba.